phirebirdphil

Hey All,

I am in search a new T/A 1998-2002 and came across one that has been modified (more than I really wanted). I was looking for one modded to 400-450 hp. It's hard to compare pricing for a modified car because they are all different so I wanted to see if I could get any opinions here.

2002 WS6 Black 6spd 64k miles.
Supercharger, LS6 intake, 6.0L heads, upgraded value springs, trunnion, push rods, bar lifter, long tube header and 4" exhaust, lots of suspension and braking upgrades. Says 585 rwhp. Build has about 4k miles on it. Obviously the guy is not going to get out of it what he put in it, and I know it's worth what someone from a small group of buyers is willing to pay, but I think it's been for sale for almost 3 months at $20k. Any thoughts???

Finkledbody

depends on color and condition but I'd be closer to $13,000-15,000 if everything worked as it should with no leaks


Everyone is talking about fbody's coming up in value. IMO it looks like the asking price has come up, purchase price hasn't changed much. Tons of these things are staying on the market with a few notable examples selling for WAAY more then anyone would have guessed. But the few are the exception, not the norm.

NC01TA

.... and it's going to remain for sale at $20k for 3 more months, then 3 more months, etc.......
Do you have any idea what condition this car is in? Beaten to death, or an older guy that keeps it in his garage and just likes modifying it?? All types of owners out there. I know a few of the latter that just like having heavily modified cars for the sake of owning one, never seeing the track or even high RPM's. They are hits at car shows and that's about it. Certainly one of those would be great to buy but $20k is still too much.

LaBLKv6Z

iTrader: (13)

Link to the ad and pictures would help. Also, one large factor I count in a higher horsepower/asking price build is the rear end. Has it been upgraded to an 8.8", 9", 12 bolt, or S60? The stock 10 bolt rear end is a weak link and a costly upgrade.

440_Stroker

And transmission/clutch/driveshaft/suspension. Throwing 650hp in a car with everything else stock just amplifies the suspension issues. How many times have you seen a high HP f-body on the dyno and after the top of the rpm range the whole rear is shaking around.

If your plan is to do everything and the car already has it done $20k is a deal. Problem is most don't have everything done and most of the ones that do don't appear to have the highest quality parts. Not that they chose bad parts but maybe some cheaper ones (still better than stock) as going all out can be very expensive, much more than $20k.

Modded cars are tough to sell, no doubt. It is cheaper to buy one done but most people are not able to drop $30k on a $50k build but can build it over say 2-3 years.

Scott8102

As LLblk and 440 stroker have said, condition of the car overall is a big factor and also if anything was done to beef up the trans/rear end. Take for instance the red 1998 SS that's in the classifieds and posted in here....It's upgraded completely to handle the power and it's not even at 500rwhp. The seller is asking 18,500 which I think is extremely fair. Sounds like whoever owned this car grew tired or ran out of money....Because it's not very smart to run almost 600rwhp on a stock tranny and rear end if thats the case. That being said, I have also seen many Trans Ams on Ebay that were relatively stock with similar mileage asking high teens/low 20s. Granted the majority of those cars were at dealerships. 20k is too steep for a car you are naturally going to want to race but at the same time worry that the rear end and/or tranny blows up on you.